j boy
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E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
According to E-MU Bruce over at the Multimedia board, they are discontinuing the Type II PCMCIA card. The 1616/1616M will henceforth only be available as a PCI version, basically the Microdock plus a 1212 PCI card. IOW a newer version of the 1820/1820M.
No announcement whatsoever of any plans to offer Express Card version. So if a user needs to upgrade to a new laptop, looks like your 1616/1616M isn't going to be an option to carry over.
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Spaceduck
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/06/12 13:28:44
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THERE IS HOPE! I just bought a Duel Systems PCMCIA-to-Expresscard adapter http://www.duel-systemsadapters.com/ and it works like a charm with my Echo Mona. From what I understand, the 1616 should work too. You can get the adapter for about $50 on ebay
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j boy
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/06/12 14:01:11
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Thanks Spaceduck. BTW, how's that Acer laptop Vista-to-XP project coming along for you?
Actually I have issues with the depth of commitment (or rather, the lack thereof) exhibited by E-MU with regards to supporting up-to-date laptop audio solutions. I don't consider it an acceptable "solution" to dangle outboard adapters off my machine, so that old technology can be wangled to work with new, but maybe that's just me.
I do appreciate your suggestion in case I were in a pinch.
Today, if I were to cashier my trusty old laptop and get a new one, I'd probably look at an Express Card FireWire port + Echo AudioFire 12.
The sad thing is, the 1616M CardBus doesn't ever give me a bit of trouble. It's a smooth, works-every-time system. I love it! But as it stands, I'm locked into a 3-year old laptop configuration. Why they would fail to move it further down the road is a mystery to me. Compared to what I hear about FireWire devices in general, there's nothing "touchy" about the PCMCIA system. It just works, like a tape deck.
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Spaceduck
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/06/12 14:16:10
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hey jb, my Acer SMOKES thanks to you for that helpful link you gave me. I followed the instructions, nuked vista, got XP installed with SATA, and wow, it's flyin  I know what you're talking about. We shouldn't have to jump through all these hoops to do the job that their customer support should be doing. My hangy-down adapter does look awkward, and I would've preferred a real solution from Echo. But they, like E-Mu, have decided to move on. Still, stick with PCMCIA as long as you can, bro! It really works, like you said. Transfer speeds are still 4-5 times faster than USB2.0 or even firewire. Until these companies decide to release some real laptop products, I refuse to step down to what they're offering in the interim. P.S. One possible solution I'm seriously considering. Get a Magma expansion chassis with a bunch of PCMCIA-to-PCI slots. Get one with an ExpressCard connection Then you can use all your old gear with your new laptop. Got $2000 to burn? 
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j boy
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/06/12 16:00:16
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Spaceduck, looks like you moved just in time to pick up the Acer at Staples. I dropped by at lunch and they say they're out of stock and won't be getting any more in. They still had the demo out, but it's 'not for sale' (not that I'd want it since it's been pawed over pretty good by the masses). I peeked around in the Device Manager and I see that the FireWire and PCMCIA controllers are both TI (!). So you seem to have gotten a great deal, at least while the getting was good.
Gotta love these now-you-see-'em now-you-don't computer deals, huh? They make snake oil salesman seem downright reliable! I do see that PC Microcenter has the Acer for sale online for $750 - $100 rebate = $650.
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j boy
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/06/12 16:44:19
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Well, you guys might like to know what E-MU Bruce's response to my concerns was, as posted at the Multimedia forum:
"If you have requirements are for a product that we do not currently make, then your only choice is to find someone who does make a product that meets your requirements.
It is not absolute that someone has to upgrade their laptop. Even less so if it is performing well for them now. There are also many great used laptops that are known to work well with the E-MU Cardbus product. That takes out the guessing and is a less expensive option as well."
I like the line that it's not absolute that someone has to upgrade their laptop. Unbelievable. And there you have it.
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Russell.Whaley
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/06/12 17:49:47
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Just another example of Creative's withdrawal from customer support of any kind. I remember the days when you could call EMU's tech support line and talk to a knowledgeable and patient person who would spend a lot of time getting your rig to work right with their hardware.
*sigh*
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Fog
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/06/13 06:07:13
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because of the replies I got off their tech support, it put me off buying their products. I was interested intially in buying something (the proteus x sampler) , but how can someone NOT know their companies products  creative have been the main player in sound cards for years, but I'm guessing their getting a lot of competition from the likes of realtek etc.
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muzic_maken
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/07/13 23:59:41
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I bought the Emu-1820m about a two years ago .... as soon as I did they gave notice that it would be discontinued...
IT works great even to this day and I love it....Now that I'm in the market for a 1616m for my laptop I should have know it would
also be discontinued......
I have stuck with Creative and E-mu for a few years but it looks like it may be time to move on, seeing that they
discontinue a product every time you turn around......
ken
http://www.reverbnation.com/paydirt2010# E-mu 1616m, Summit Audio 2BA-221, Mackie MCU, , Event 2020's, Advanced Audio CM67 (AA-CM67 tube Mic), Rhode NT2-A, Samson C05, SM58, Windows 7 Ultimate x64, Sonar Producer 8,
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tonester
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/07/14 11:29:48
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So what is the answer? Is it just that we have to spring for a $500 plus audio card to ensure that it won't be discontinued? I don't know about the rest of you, but in this economy, I jsut don't have that kind of extra $$ lying around.
It seems to me that there is a lot of negative reviews to all these products. Either the tech support is non-existent, or the product is discontinued, or the drivers are crappy, or latency is horrible..... or it doesn't work in Vista, or .......
Is there anyone out there that is happy with their less expensive soundcard that can make me a recommendation for a decent, sub-$500, multiple input/output, low latency, reliably built soundcard. Or is that just a pipe dream. I mean, I'm not a big player in the audio industry. I just want to make some recordings at home for demos or singer/songwriters or my own personal stuff.
I certainly can't afford the "flagship" RME
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mgh
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/07/14 13:42:09
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edirol fa 66, echo audiofire 8, MOTU ultralite. all are FW based...
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Junski
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/07/14 14:54:59
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Creative consumer line do have one Express card product available already so, maybe they move to Express with their E-MU brand too (someday) ... though, I'm rather waiting a FW version of 1616M (1820M or even better/'bigger') coming out someday. As Creative has PCIe consumer cards as well ... maybe 0404/1010 are the 1st PCIe models they release under E-MU brand?
Junski
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ambientNRG
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/09/05 18:11:08
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Anyone here using EMU 1616m cardbus with Vista? I put that on Vista using a PCMIA to Express slot adapter and I get lot of problems with microdock getting out of sync. It basically fails to connect to the cardbus as it doesn't recognize it. Its intermittent so sometimes it does work. When it does, it has amazing sound quality. Please help.
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Beagle
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/09/05 18:30:49
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I would be willing to bet that the drivers for the 1616 PCMCIA are not vista compatible since they discontinued that line. I seriously doubt they wrote vista drivers for it.
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AJ_0000
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/09/05 19:49:47
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Not true. I have Vista and the 1616M PCMCIA card for my laptop, and it works. Also have the PCI card. The E-MU drivers cover everything they make as far as I know. Mine is on a laptop with a built-in PCMCIA slot, though. It could be an issue with the adapter.
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j boy
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/09/05 19:51:13
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ORIGINAL: Beagle
I would be willing to bet that the drivers for the 1616 PCMCIA are not vista compatible since they discontinued that line. I seriously doubt they wrote vista drivers for it.
Nah, they have Vista drivers.
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Beagle
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/09/05 21:54:55
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Ok - UNCLE!!! 
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j boy
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/09/06 23:36:57
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He he, no probs Beagle. The thing with Creative/E-MU is they are so coy about what they're doing it's like they don't want to really be committed to their customers in a long-term sense. When I buy into a company's offerings I expect they'll be there if technology changes , new OS, etc. That's why companies like Digi have such a hold on pro industry. Somebody who is serious about this stuff needs their gear to upgrade when necessary and no dorking around. 'Nuff said. You gotta know the gear you choose to use as a foundation you won't have to chuck aside next year. (Aardvark anybody?). I get that "here for the long haul" feeling about Twelve Tones/Cakewalk/SONAR. The shame is the 1616M is a dynamite product, simply the best for the price hands down. It's a head scratcher to see them fumble the ball like this. How much could it cost to develop an Express card equivalent to the Type II Cardbus?
post edited by j boy - 2008/09/06 23:38:18
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AJ_0000
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/09/07 00:04:07
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ORIGINAL: j boy
The shame is the 1616M is a dynamite product, simply the best for the price hands down. I agree. It's not the best for low latency, but when it comes to recording audio there is nothing close. It's a head scratcher to see them fumble the ball like this. How much could it cost to develop an Express card equivalent to the Type II Cardbus?
From a business standpoint it's got to be tricky. We don't know how well the Cardbus version was selling, and with laptop makers transitioning to Express card, they may have looked at a risky market and decided to leave it alone for now.
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rumleymusic
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/09/07 00:48:46
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From a business standpoint it's got to be tricky. We don't know how well the Cardbus version was selling, and with laptop makers transitioning to Express card, they may have looked at a risky market and decided to leave it alone for now. I can't see them making a Firewire interface, but I'm sure they know they will need to make a sustainable laptop option pretty soon if they don't want to loose half the market.
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Beagle
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/09/07 08:28:00
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I agree j boy - I know the 1616M has some of the best converters around, but EMU's lack of committment has kept me away from them anyway.
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ambientNRG
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/09/08 18:26:28
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So far only good experiences here. As I mentioned, I do get lot of audio dock connectivity issues. sometimes it is detected and sometimes its not.
My question is if anyone experienced the same issue, EVER???? if you did, how did you resolve it? I may have something faulty, and I would hate to admit that its the PCMIA to Express Slot converter. It may be the audio dock and that would be a shame cuz I bought it used ... this could be a lemon.
I do have to admit that whenever it worked, it had one of the best sound quality that i've heard, both on the input and output conversion.
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j boy
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/09/08 18:35:11
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No connectivity issues here with the 1616M. Very solid. The E-MU drivers are much better since the latest major revision. It figures... they finally get everything sussed out, running perfectly smooth and then they pull the plug on you (no Express Card suport).
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inmazevo
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/09/09 14:48:29
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Hehehe. I completely missed this thread. I can't use my 1616M PCMCIA anymore, since I don't have a laptop with express card or pcmcia slot. Been planning on putting it on ebay, and now the price is going up. Hehehe. Sweet. - zevo
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AJ_0000
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/09/09 16:03:35
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If you've got a desktop, you can keep the dock and just buy the PCI card ($100 I think).
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NW Smith
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RE: E-MU 1616/1616M CardBus discontinued
2008/09/11 09:19:41
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Based on my experience, this type of behavior is par for the course for E-MU.
Some years back, I bought an E-MU APS sound card for around $500. When Microsoft introduced Windows XP, E-MU discontinued the APS soundcard and did not offer any driver upgrades to make the card compatible with XP. Luckily some people on the net created drivers that worked fine.
E-MU finally did put out XP drivers for the old APS card, right before they introduced a new line of sound cards. By then, it was too late for me. I gave up on their products and switched to an M-Audio Delta 1010.
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